Freedom Class Times Booked for Sydney 2015

[Clarea]

Do any ships "carry their own tenders?" I've been on every class except Sovereign and never seen a ship use its own tenders. Do they use the emergency lifeboats for regular transportation of passengers?

We were on Celebrity Mercury once and used their lifeboats to tender into Nanaimo.

[Ken at the beach]

I do realize that RCI could use the local tenders, if the local ports have them, but one can assume that the South Pacific does not have the local tenders, at many ports, otherwise Voyager of the Seas would be going to various other islands where it does not have to dock. (Ports like Mystery Island and Ise de pines etc). Also if there is local tenders in the South Pacific, at these islands, why then would RCI be adding tenders to Voyager of the Seas, during its dry dock, as mentioned elsewhere on this board by Springaussie. Hence the question do the other bigger ships in RCI fleet have tenders? If they don't then the only ports of call for them can be the ports where Voyager of the Seas is currently going to, and that is where it can dock, and therefore they are limiting the ports that they can visit.

 

Delete..

Edited January 5, 2014 by Ourusualbeach

[SamFritz]

Many ships carry their own tenders. I think all RCI ships smaller than Voyager class have their own tenders (I know that Radiance and Vision class have tenders). I have personally tendered from Vision of the Seas (I went back and looked at pictures to confirm this). I'm pretty sure that ALL Celebrity ships [i've been on eleven of them] carry their own tenders. Just because ships have their own tenders doesn't mean they use them - generally if local shore based tenders are available the local boats will be used. To answer "Do they use the emergency lifeboats for regular transportation of passengers?": Radiance class carries (I think) 18 lifeboats; four of these are configured as tenders and fourteen are strictly emergency lifeboats (and not intended to be used as tenders).

 

Thom

 

So do I understand that as a part of the upgrades they are adding tendering style lifeboats to some ships? Do the tender configured boats look different from the others?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk, please excuse all the typos.

[SamFritz]

So I just did a search and found this picture of a tendering lifeboat. I apologize for mr skepticism.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk, please excuse all the typos.

[BillB48]

This may not be the best shot of a "lifeboat" tender, but you can see the difference. The tender craft are the first two of the lifeboats that follow the little workboat. Picture of the Grandeur.

 

[Ken at the beach]

Interesting to see the lifeboat tenders.

 

I do have a hard time believing that these could be utilized effectively on a Voyager or Freedom class ship given the passenger counts.

 

RCI can't figure it out for Liberty in Belieze using the larger tenders so Hesse would be a nightmare.

[TravelerThom]

So do I understand that as a part of the upgrades they are adding tendering style lifeboats to some ships? Do the tender configured boats look different from the others? ...

Others have posted pictures showing how tenders look different on the top side. The easiest way to tell from the bottom is generally tenders have two props (and often a double catamaran style hull) and the emergency lifeboats only have one prop (and a single hull). I hope the only bottom view I have is walking down the Promenade deck with the boats on davits above me, not from being submerged under the tender or having it go belly up:eek:. Looking at the bottom of both tenders and emergency lifeboats you can see rails to hold onto if it is upside down (at least I think that's what those rails are for).

 

I can not answer anything about the conversion to tenders as I know nothing about that, but that seems to be what is being reported.

 

Thom

Edited January 5, 2014 by TravelerThom

[Pushka]

These were the Liberty lifeboats being checked out by crew in Toulon. Not good for tender purposes.

 

 

Edited January 5, 2014 by Pushka

[violetmoon1979]

:D

 

I would LOVE it if a Freedom class ship came to Australia!! I live in Australia but am from Miami originally, I love the Rhapsody, dont get me wrong, but on a 2 week cruise it can get a little boring. Especially when most of the ports are just snorkeling spots.

 

Keeping fingers crossed!!!